We’re at War? I don’t know about you, but I’m getting pretty tired of the media declaring that the U.S. is at war. Even the fictional TV shows like First Watch and Boston Public are writing in plot lines that echo this “We’re at war” mentality. Was I asleep the day that Congress declared war? I looked and looked and looked for an official declaration of war by Congress, and guess what? I couldn’t find one. I couldn’t find one because well, Congress hasn’t declared war! I shouldn’t be surprised that our government is taking advantage of the situation to foist outlandish bills through the House and the Senate ($381 billion defense bill? Yikes!). Given the kind of government we have with Bush in the The House of White, and the kind of shady people Bush has hired (ahem, can you say Enron? Yes, I knew you could) I should only expect three more years of the same. It’s like all common sense has been thrown out the window, and all caution has been thrown to the wind.

Terrorism Survival Guide: Right next to my office in downtown NYC there is one of those stores that stocks every magazine known to mankind. On my way to lunch the other day, I spotted one of the most ridiculous things yet. A glossy magazine cover with a big, red, bold title: “Terrorism Survival Guide” and in small print, “Operation Enduring Freedom #2”. As if one issue weren’t cheesy enough, they came out with a second edition. I might go buy one of these just because I know one day it may become a hot collectible. Other than that, I think it might work as pretty good kindling for a fire.

With names like “America at War” and “Terrorism Survival Guide,” these cynical pseudo-publications — “10s of Thousands Dead!” screamed the headline on one Ñ range from baseball-style programs packed with poorly designed photo montages and crude captions, to elaborate, slick “family safety” publications threatening to come out 12 times a year.